Flu vaccination shortage hits Victoria, New South Wales

7:37am May 24, 2018

Children, the elderly and sick will be the first
priority for flu vaccinations until the government can get a "solid
supply" into Australia.

Victoria's Health
Minister Jill Hennessy yesterday said the jab would be rationed to "the
vulnerable" until there was a stable supply after record numbers of
people had opted for the vaccine, causing a shortage.

"Until
we can get the assurance from the commonwealth government there's flu
vaccine available for all ... we're rationing our flu vaccines for the
most vulnerable groups. They are largely people with certain kinds of
illnesses, for the elderly and for young children," Ms Hennessy said.

But we want the flu vaccine to be available for all
and that's why we have called upon the federal government to get more
assertive and organised about ensuring a solid supply."

She
wrote to the federal government last week about the expected
availability of the vaccine and has been told additional orders have
been placed and are due to arrive in a couple of weeks.

One
of the country's top health chiefs this morning moved to reassure the
public there would be enough of the vaccine to go around.

The
Department of Health's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Anthony (Tony)
Hobbs told Today authorities were pleased so many people have had the
jab.

Dr Hobbs said each state and territory's chief
medical officers had noticed an increase in vaccinations of between 20
and 30 per cent and additional doses had been made available to help
meet that demand.

"We are working very closely
with all chief health officers to make sure we're managing supply so
people who have access need it," he said.

Dr
Hobbs said the government had already released an extra 93,000 doses for
the over 65s and would be working to source extra vaccines in the
coming days.

"We expect another 144,000 doses in next one or two weeks," Dr Hobbs said.

"We
expect another 144,000 doses in the next one or two weeks. We continue
to work with manufacturers to bring other vaccine into the market. It
is still very early in the season. We have had no indication to date
that this flu season so far is any different or any worse than any other
season."

The shortage is being blamed on an
unprecedented demand for the vaccine, with a 30 percent increase in the
number of people wanting a jab compared to 2017.

It
comes after last year's deadly flu season led to 1100 flu-related
deaths, inclduing 121 aged care residents in Victoria alone.

More
than five million doses of the seasonal flu vaccine have been brought
into Australia under the National Immunisation Program but increased
demand has impacted supply, federal health authorities told AAP on
Monday.

"According to states and territories,
compared to last year, there has been a 25-30 per cent increase in
demand," Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Hobbs said in a statement.

The
Therapeutic Goods Administration has released 9.6 million doses of
influenza vaccines under the immunisation program, state programs and
the private market as of Monday.

The
federal government on Saturday said it had ordered nearly a million
additional doses, including 500,000 to be made in Melbourne. It comes on
top of the 10 million vaccines that have already been released this flu
season — representing an overall 26.5 per cent increase on last year.

Australia’s acting chief medical officer Anthony Hobbs said more will be ordered if necessary.

Demand
for the vaccine had increased “significantly” this year across the
country, following a very high number of flu cases in 2017.

“We’ll
continue to work very closely with the chief health officers of each
state and territory to ensure that the vaccine gets to those most in
need,” he told reporters in Canberra.

An extra 93,000 doses of an
enhanced trivalent vaccine, designed specifically for the elderly, were
secured this week and are now being distributed.

A further 150,000
of the quadrivalent vaccine will arrive in Australia by late next week
and will be sent out “as quickly as possible” to providers, Dr Hobbs
said.

It’s expected the additional vaccines will be available from June to July, before the peak period for the spread of the flu.

“I do want to stress to the Australian public that there is still time for them to be vaccinated,” Dr Hobbs said.

“It’s very early in the season and the peak of the influenza season is not until August and September.”

NSW
Health on Saturday said 91 confirmed flu cases had been recorded in the
week ending May 20, compared to 179 during the same period last year.
The state government has distributed about two million doses of the flu
vaccine to date, about half a million more than in 2017.

“While
supply is tight from the Commonwealth and deliveries restricted, we
still urge people to call ahead to their GP or pharmacy to check they
hold the right vaccine for them and get their jab,” director of health
protection Jeremy McAnulty said in a statement.

Techno, how bad is the Flu in the Southern Hemisphere? It looks like there are fewer cases from one of the articles but I am always worried about how bad. I worry about Pneumonia because I get that pretty easy. Old age you got to be tough to get here or smart enough to know when to go to the hospital.

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